The Baker University football team greeted Peru State College with a 55-12 loss in its first game in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Saturday at Liston Stadium.
The Wildcats are 2-0 for the season and are averaging 48 points per game after Saturday’s 55-point output against the Peru State Bobcats and posting 41 points in their season opener against the Ottawa Braves.
Junior Jake Green believes the team is executing well in its new offense.
“I feel really comfortable in it now,” Green said. “During the week, we practice what we are going to do in the game, so it kind of comes as like a second-nature in the game. Coach (Miguel) Regalado does a good job of getting us prepared for the game, so we feel pretty comfortable out there.”
The Baker offense was led by sophomore Jake Morse, who threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Morse connected to Green for 83 of those yards and two touchdowns.
“(Morse) got off to a good start with Jake Green and that’s good to see,” head coach Mike Grossner said. “Those two did really well last year connecting. I just think we are going to get better and better offensively.”
BU’s ground attack was led by senior John Babb. Babb had his second straight 100-yard game with 129 yards on 11 carries.
While the offense put on a show Saturday, the statistic of the game for the Wildcats was from Baker’s defense.
The Wildcats shut down the Peru State running game completely as the Bobcats compiled -59 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Although the ’Cats put up some impressive numbers in the first two games, they are not completely content with how they are playing.
“I think we are playing good right now but we have a lot of things we can clean up on defense,” senior Madison Morris said. “We are nowhere near where we need to be yet. When we play bigger teams like (Missouri Valley College) and MidAmerica (Nazarene University), we have to be on our a-game.”
Baker will attempt to continue its winning ways on the road against Evangel University at 6 p.m. Saturday in Springfield, Mo.
“I think it’s a tough opponent,” Grossner said. “I think it will be a great atmosphere with it being (Evangel’s) home opener. We’ve got to have a good week of practice because this is a huge game for us. If we practice and get ready like we have been, we should have a good showing down there.”
Evangel lost its season opener to NCAA Division I Nicholls State University 42-0. The Crusaders finished the 2010 season with a record of 4-6, and fell to the Wildcats 41-6 in last year’s matchup.
